May 2012 News

While excavation of the $447.5 million Box Hill Hospital redevelopment is well underway, cranes have arrived on-site to begin construction on the new clinical services block.

According to state health minister David Davis, the development is on track to be completed in 2015.

"This new building will add more than 40,000 square metres over 11 floors - eight above ground - and will be linked to the existing hospital via an atrium and several link bridges," he said yesterday (May 30).

One Australian researcher has suggested that the increasing trend of over-diagnosis of diseases and disorders could be doing more harm than good.

In an article published in the British Medical Journal today (May 30), Bond University's Ray Moynihan has put forward the idea that advances in screening technology - as well as fears of missing early detection signs - has caused a rise in the number of false cases of diseases such as cancer, diabetes and asthma.

The mental health issues facing young Australian men are costing the national economy more than $3 billion each year in lost productivity, according to new research.

Launched by federal minister for mental health and ageing Mark Butler today (May 30), Counting the Cost: The Impact of Young Men's Mental Health on the Australian Economy revealed that nine million working days are lost per annum due to mental illness in young men.

According to Mr Butler, the new data indicates the tremendous scope of mental health issues in the community.

Oral cancer affects over 900 Australians each year, according to the Oral Health Cooperative Research Centre, yet one leading dental body asserts that it remains one of the least-understood diseases in Australia.

Knowing the signs of oral cancer and spotting it quickly are the key, according to Australian Dental Association (ADA) Oral Health Committee chairman Dr Peter Alldritt.

"Every day, at least three Australians are being diagnosed with oral cancer," Dr Alldritt said.

When was the last time you had yourself checked for signs of melanoma?

A recent study has found nearly half of Australians have not been checked for skin cancer over the last five years.

The results are concerning when you consider that Australians have the highest incidence rate of skin cancer in the developed world, and doctors are pleading for people to show more awareness for the deadly condition.

The survey, carried out by Canstar Blue, polled 1,500 Australians who had purchased sunscreen.

The NSW government has announced a new initiative to help residents gain access to mental health advice.

Minister for mental health Kevin Humphries launched the 24 hour telephone service last week, stating that it would provide essential information to patients, families and carers.

"This service heralds a new era of mental health care in NSW; it is a simple and effective way in which people who are worried about mental health issues can receive expert assistance," he said on May 23.

Tooth decay is becoming a common occurrence in an increasing number of Australian children, according to new data released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Titled the Child Dental Health Survey Australia 2007 - 30-year trends in child oral health, the report indicates that rate of tooth decay among those aged between six and 15 years has increased since the mid-1990s.

In 2007, the average six-year-old had two decayed, missing or filled teeth - a trend that continued into the teenage years, according to study author Kaye Roberts-Thomson.